Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the management of information handling systems. More specifically, embodiments of the invention provide a system, method, and computer-readable medium for using Zero Configuration Networking (ZeroConf) to automate the discovery of the Internet Protocol (IP) network address of a remote access controller (RAC).
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
One example of an information handling system is a server, which is typically dedicated to running one or more services as a host on a network. The advent of cloud computing in recent years has made the use of servers increasingly common. As a result, it is not unusual for hundreds, if not thousands, of servers to be deployed in a given data center. Historically, servers were locally managed by an administrator through a shared keyboard, video display, and mouse (KVM). Over time, remote management capabilities evolved to allow administrators to monitor, manage, update and deploy servers over a network connection.
One example of these capabilities is the use of a remote access controller (RAC), which is operably coupled to, or embedded within, the server and remotely accessed by an administrator via an out-of-band communication link. As an example, the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) from Dell, Inc. has its own processor, memory, network connection, and access to the system bus. Integrated into the motherboard of a server, it provides out-of-band management facilities that allow administrators to deploy, monitor, manage, configure, update, troubleshoot and remediate the server from any location, and without the use of agents. As an example, multiple servers (e.g., blade servers) may be associated with a server chassis.
Accordingly, the use of a RAC for remote management of a server, or multiple servers associated with a server chassis, in a data center can be advantageous. However, it can also present challenges. For example, new servers usually arrive with default IP network address settings that have been set during the manufacturing process. However, each data center may have implemented predetermined network global settings requirements in order to provide a valid routable IP address for each RAC. As a result, an administrator may have to resort to manually determining the predetermined IP address for the RAC through the server's front panel controls before it can be remotely accessed for further administration. It will be appreciated that such approaches can be inconvenient, time consuming, and error-prone, especially when onboarding large numbers of servers.